A friendship does not a sister city make

Saturday

Dec 28, 2013 at 9:34 AM

By Annette.Manwell@hollandsentinel.com(616) 546-4270

There is a purpose for one city to have a sister city or friendship city relationship with another in a foreign country.The relationship could have educational benefits for students, be economically sound, bring in tourists and provide for cultural, citizen and student exchanges, said Christopher Stevens, director of the Holland International Friendship Association.For those reasons, and many more, Stevens and a group of about 10 people have worked for a year and a half to form a friendship with Nagahama, Japan.Stevens is also a commissioner on the city of Holland International Relations Commission. In that role, he works with Holland’s sister city, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.The difference between a friendship city and a sister city is the involvement of the respective cities, Stevens said. Officials from each city signed documents and have formal declarations for the sister city relationship.“At this time, we’re keeping it somewhat informal,” Stevens said of the relationship with Nagahama.The friendship has been acknowledged through letters from Mayor Kurt Dykstra and Nagahama Mayor Yuji Fujii, Stevens said, but any exchanges that happen between the cities will be the responsibility of Holland International Friendship Association.“It's up to citizens to say we’re going to lead it,” Stevens said. “We’re going to make this happen.”Nagahama is located in the Shiga Prefecture in Japan, on the northeastern shore of Lake Biwa, according to information provided by Stevens. Rich in historical and cultural assets, the city has a population of about 122,000. Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan, supplies drinking water for the 1.4 million inhabitants of Shiga Prefecture.For the city of Holland’s role, there is simply no extra funding to support any exchanges or programming to have another sister city, Stevens said. So the relationship with Nagahama will be handled by the volunteers and will start, at least, as a friendship.The city is fortunate enough to have people, including himself, with experience in Japan, Stevens said. They will be able to build relationships that could provide local businesses with more opportunities in Japan or give students or other residents opportunities to travel there. The friendship could also increase tourism into the area from the roughly 50,000 Japanese nationals who live and work within 500 miles of Holland, Stevens said.But to really get the idea off the ground, the group needs more volunteers, specifically someone who can head the subcommittee that focuses on educational and cultural exchanges, Stevens said.He’s also hoping to develop a few fundraisers in the next year.If you are interested in becoming a member of HIFA or possible future participation in exchange programs, contact Stevens at (616) 566-2893 or holland.nagahama@gmail.com.— Follow this reporter on Facebook or Twitter, @SentinelNetty.